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Oracle® Fusion Middleware User's Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Plus
11
g
Release 1 (11.1.1)
B40105-01
Index
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Contents
Title and Copyright Information
Preface
Intended Audience
Documentation Accessibility
Oracle BI Discoverer Keyboard Navigation
Related Documents
Conventions
JGoodies License Agreement
Part I Getting started
1
Introducing Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer
1.1
What is Oracle BI Discoverer?
1.2
Why should I use Oracle BI Discoverer?
1.3
How do I access information using Oracle BI Discoverer?
1.4
What is a typical workflow with Oracle BI Discoverer?
1.4.1
Stage 1: Getting the data you want
1.4.2
Stage 2: Analyzing data
1.4.3
Stage 3: Sharing data with other people
1.5
What are the different components of Oracle BI Discoverer?
1.6
Who is the Discoverer manager and what do they do?
2
Using Discoverer Plus with a relational data source
2.1
What is Discoverer Plus Relational?
2.2
What is a relational data source?
2.3
What are business areas?
2.4
What are folders?
2.5
What are items?
2.6
What is the Discoverer Plus Relational sample database?
2.7
What are the new features in Discoverer Plus 11.1.1?
2.8
Where can I find out more about Discoverer Plus Relational?
3
Using Discoverer Plus with a multidimensional data source
3.1
How can I tell when I am using Discoverer Plus with a multidimensional data source?
3.2
What is Discoverer Plus OLAP?
3.3
What is online analytic processing (OLAP)?
3.4
What are multidimensional data sources?
3.5
What are multidimensional cubes?
3.6
What are measures?
3.7
What are dimensions and dimension members?
3.8
What are dimension hierarchies?
3.9
What are dimension attributes?
3.10
About aggregating and filtering multidimensional data
3.11
About applying filters after aggregating multidimensional data
3.12
About filters and dimensions
3.13
What is the Discoverer Catalog?
3.14
About the Discoverer Plus OLAP Tutorial
3.15
Where can I find out more about Discoverer Plus OLAP?
4
Starting Discoverer
4.1
What is a Discoverer connection?
4.2
About starting Discoverer
4.3
How to display the Discoverer Plus connections page
4.4
How to start Discoverer using an existing connection
4.5
How to start Discoverer by connecting directly
4.6
How to exit Discoverer Plus
4.7
Frequently asked questions
4.7.1
What is the End User Layer (EUL)?
4.7.2
What are database accounts?
4.7.3
How do I create and save login information in a Discoverer connection?
4.7.4
How do I edit a Discoverer connection?
4.7.5
How do I delete a Discoverer connection?
4.7.6
What are public connections?
4.7.7
What are user-defined connections?
4.7.8
When and why should I change my password?
4.7.9
How do I change the password for a connection?
4.7.10
How do I change the End User Layer for a Discoverer connection?
4.7.11
What is Single Sign-on?
4.7.12
What is the difference between Single Sign-on and Discoverer passwords?
4.7.13
How do I know what Single Sign-on ID is being used in Discoverer Plus?
5
About the Discoverer Plus Relational work area
5.1
About the work area
5.2
About Discoverer's drag and drop features
5.2.1
About dragging and dropping items in the Discoverer work area
5.2.2
About repositioning items in the Discoverer work area
5.3
About Discoverer menus
5.3.1
About the Standard Discoverer menu
5.3.2
About Discoverer's right-click menus
5.4
About Discoverer toolbars
5.4.1
About the Standard toolbar
5.4.2
About the Formatting toolbar
5.4.3
About the Graph toolbar
5.4.4
About the Available Items toolbar
5.4.5
About the Selected Items toolbar
5.4.6
About tool tips
5.5
About icons used in the Discoverer item navigator
5.6
What are axis items?
5.7
About data points
5.8
What is the Discoverer Worksheet Wizard?
6
Using workbooks and worksheets
6.1
What are workbooks?
6.2
What are worksheets?
6.3
About Discoverer worksheet types
6.4
About table worksheets
6.5
About crosstab worksheets
6.6
About designing workbooks for maximum performance
6.7
How to open workbooks
6.8
About opening workbooks in a non-Oracle database
6.9
How to edit workbooks
6.10
About saving a workbook to the database
6.11
How to save workbooks
6.12
How to copy workbooks
6.13
How to delete workbooks from the database
6.14
About worksheet titles and text
6.15
How to create or edit worksheet titles or text
6.16
How to display or hide worksheet titles or text
6.17
How to rename worksheets and workbooks
6.18
How to re-order worksheets within a workbook
6.19
How to refresh worksheets
6.20
How to delete worksheets
6.21
How to find data in a worksheet
6.22
About creating new workbooks
6.23
How to create new workbooks
6.24
How to add worksheets to a workbook
6.25
How to view and update a workbook's properties
6.26
About worksheet properties
6.27
How to view and edit worksheet properties
7
Editing worksheets and worksheet items
7.1
About editing worksheets
7.2
How to edit worksheets using the Edit Worksheet wizard
7.3
How to add items to worksheets
7.4
How to create new worksheet items
7.5
How to remove items from worksheets
7.6
How to duplicate a worksheet
7.7
How to change the format of worksheet items
7.8
How to set the currency symbol for numeric items
7.9
How to change the format of worksheet item headings
7.10
How to change the text in item headings
8
Creating graphs in Discoverer
8.1
What is a Discoverer graph?
8.2
About using graphs in Discoverer
8.3
About components of a Discoverer graph
8.4
About graph types and sub-types
8.5
About graph types available in Discoverer
8.6
Notes about creating bubble graphs
8.7
Notes about creating high-low-close stock graphs
8.8
Notes about creating dual-Y graphs
8.9
Notes about creating pie graphs
8.10
How to edit a graph
8.11
How to hide and display a graph
8.12
How to change the position of a graph
Part II Analyzing data
9
Pivoting data
9.1
About pivoting worksheet items
9.2
About pivoting data on a crosstab worksheet
9.3
How to pivot worksheet items in the Discoverer work area
9.4
How to pivot worksheet items using the Edit Worksheet dialog
9.5
About unexpected results with pivoting
10
Drilling to analyze data
10.1
About drilling in Discoverer worksheets
10.2
What are drill hierarchies?
10.3
How to drill up and down
10.3.1
How to drill up and down using a drill icon in worksheet data
10.3.2
How to drill up and down using a graph label in graph data
10.3.3
How to drill up and down using the Drill dialog
10.4
About drilling to related items
10.5
How to drill to a related item
10.5.1
How to drill to a related item using a drill icon
10.5.2
How to drill to a related item using the Drill dialog
10.6
About drilling to detail
10.7
How to drill to detail
10.8
About drill links
10.8.1
About user defined drill links
10.8.2
About drill links defined by the Discoverer manager
10.8.3
About using drill links
10.9
How to create drill links
10.9.1
How to create drill links to Discoverer worksheets
10.9.2
How to create drill links to Internet URLs
10.10
How to use drill links
10.10.1
How to drill out to a worksheet or Internet URL using a drill link icon
10.10.2
How to drill out to a worksheet or Internet URL using the Drill dialog
11
Using parameters
11.1
What are parameters?
11.2
What are the benefits of using parameters?
11.3
About using parameters
11.4
About creating parameters
11.5
About using parameters to collect dynamic user input
11.6
About filtering lists of parameter values based on selected conditions (cascading parameters)
11.7
How to set parameters
11.8
How to activate parameters
11.9
How to deactivate parameters
11.10
How to create parameters
11.11
How to delete parameters
11.12
Examples of parameters
11.12.1
Example 1: Using a parameter to filter a worksheet
11.12.2
Example 2: Using a parameter that enables multiple values to filter a worksheet
11.12.3
Example 3: Using a parameter to collect dynamic user input
12
Using conditional formatting
12.1
What is conditional formatting?
12.1.1
What is a conditional format?
12.1.2
What is a stoplight format?
12.2
About managing conditional formatting
12.3
Notes on using conditional formats and stoplight formats
12.4
How to activate and deactivate conditional formats and stoplight formats
12.5
How to create conditional formats
12.6
How to create stoplight formats
12.7
How to edit conditional formats and stoplight formats
12.8
How to delete conditional formats and stoplight formats
12.9
How to change the color of stoplight formats
12.10
Examples of conditional formatting
12.10.1
Example 1: Conditional format to highlight Profit SUM values greater than 30000
12.10.2
Example 2: Stoplight format to categorize Profit SUM values on a table worksheet
12.10.3
Example 3: Stoplight format to categorize hidden Profit SUM values on a crosstab worksheet
13
Using conditions
13.1
What are conditions?
13.2
What are multiple conditions?
13.3
What are nested conditions?
13.4
About using conditions
13.5
About applying more than one condition
13.6
How to activate and deactivate existing conditions
13.7
How to create single conditions
13.8
How to create multiple conditions
13.9
How to create nested conditions
13.10
How to edit conditions
13.11
How to delete conditions
13.12
Notes on how Discoverer applies conditions to roll-ups
13.13
Example of how Discoverer applies conditions to roll-ups
13.14
Examples of conditions
14
Using totals
14.1
What are totals?
14.2
About totals on worksheets
14.3
About SUM and Cell SUM
14.4
When to use SUM instead of Cell SUM
14.4.1
Example - using SUM to calculate the average sales per employee
14.5
When to use Cell SUM instead of SUM
14.5.1
Example - using Cell SUM to calculate an increase in sales
14.6
About migrating workbook totals to Oracle BI Discoverer
14.7
What are aggregated values in Discoverer
14.8
What are linear and non-linear totals
14.9
How to display or hide totals
14.10
How to create totals
14.11
How to edit totals
14.12
How to delete totals
14.13
Examples of totals
14.14
Examples of worksheet aggregation in Discoverer
14.14.1
Example 1: Example of a Rank calculation using an Oracle9
i
or later database
14.14.2
Example 2: Example showing how Discoverer does not aggregate repeated values using an Oracle9
i
or later database
15
Using percentages
15.1
What are percentages?
15.2
How to display or hide percentages
15.3
How to create percentages
15.4
How to edit percentages
15.5
How to delete percentages
15.6
Example of percentages
16
Sorting data
16.1
What is sorting?
16.2
About sorting on table worksheets
16.3
About sorting on crosstab worksheets
16.4
What is group sorting?
16.5
How to sort data on a table worksheet
16.6
How to sort data on a crosstab worksheet
16.7
How to change how worksheet data is sorted
16.8
How to remove sorting from a worksheet
16.9
Examples of sorting
17
Using calculations
17.1
What are calculations?
17.2
About using calculations
17.3
What are analytic functions?
17.4
What analytic function templates are available in Discoverer?
17.5
How to display or hide worksheet calculations
17.6
How to create calculations
17.7
How to create a calculation using an analytic function template
17.8
How to edit calculations
17.9
How to delete calculations
17.10
Examples of calculations
Part III Sharing results with others
18
Printing worksheets and graphs
18.1
About printing in Discoverer Plus Relational
18.2
About elements of a printed worksheet in Discoverer Plus Relational
18.3
What are Page Setup options
18.4
About Page Setup options for graphs
18.5
How to change Page Setup options for a worksheet
18.6
How to print Discoverer workbooks
18.7
How to print Discoverer worksheets
18.8
How to print Discoverer workbooks and worksheets to PDF files
19
Exporting data to other applications
19.1
About exporting Discoverer data to other applications
19.2
About exporting worksheets to Oracle Reports
19.3
About exporting worksheets to Microsoft Excel
19.4
About exporting worksheets to Microsoft Excel Web Query format
19.4.1
About Discoverer support for Microsoft Excel Web Query format
19.4.2
About Microsoft Excel Web Query format and Discoverer security
19.5
About how worksheets and graphs are exported
19.6
About exporting worksheets that contain page items
19.7
About accessing exported files
19.8
How to export Discoverer data
20
Sharing workbooks
20.1
About sharing workbooks
20.2
About sharing workbooks and security
20.3
How to share workbooks
20.3.1
How to share the currently open workbook with other Discoverer users
20.3.2
How to share multiple workbooks with a single Discoverer user
Part IV Advanced Discoverer Plus Relational features
21
Advanced Discoverer Plus Relational Features
21.1
Using scheduled workbooks
21.1.1
What are scheduled workbooks?
21.1.2
When to use scheduled workbooks
21.1.3
An example of using a scheduled workbook
21.1.4
About accessing scheduled workbook results sets
21.1.5
About how scheduled workbooks are processed
21.1.6
About scheduled workbooks and aggregation
21.1.6.1
Non-aggregable values are not displayed for scheduled workbooks
21.1.6.2
ALL page item value is missing for tabular worksheets
21.1.6.3
How to disable Enhanced Data Aggregation
21.1.7
How to schedule workbooks
21.1.8
How to edit scheduled workbooks
21.1.9
How to copy a scheduled workbook
21.1.10
How to unschedule a scheduled workbook
21.1.11
How to delete scheduled workbooks and scheduled workbook results sets
21.2
Using lists of values (LOVs)
21.2.1
What is a list of values (LOV)?
21.2.2
LOV examples
21.2.2.1
A LOV used to specify worksheet parameters
21.2.2.2
A LOV used in a condition
21.2.2.3
A LOV used in the Discoverer item navigator
21.2.3
About using long LOVs
21.2.3.1
How to select single values from long LOVs
21.2.3.2
How to select multiple values from long LOVs
21.3
Changing default settings
21.3.1
About default Discoverer settings
21.3.2
How to change default Discoverer settings
21.3.3
How to revert to the default format settings
21.3.4
How to change default worksheet formats
21.3.5
Notes on setting Advanced options
21.3.5.1
About automatic querying
21.3.5.2
About fan traps
21.3.5.3
About multiple join paths
21.4
Using SQL
21.4.1
What is SQL
21.4.2
Why should I be interested in SQL?
21.4.3
What are summaries?
21.4.4
What are summary folders
21.4.5
What is an execution plan?
21.4.6
About the Discoverer execution plan
21.4.7
How to view SQL
21.4.8
How to view a SQL execution plan
Part V Discoverer Plus Relational Reference
22
Dialog reference
Available Items pane
Available Items pane: Calculations tab
Available Items pane: Conditions area
Available Items pane: Items tab
Band by Rank dialog
Band by Value dialog
Calendar dialog
Choose a responsibility dialog
Color Chooser dialog
Color Palette Editor dialog
Choose Worksheet dialog
Column Width dialog
Conditional Formats dialog
Confirm Threshold dialog
Data Format dialog (Default Options)
Data/graph pane
Delete Scheduled Workbook Results dialog
Delete Workbooks from Database dialog
Difference dialog
Drill dialog
Edit Calculation dialog
Edit Condition dialog
Edit Graph dialog: Font dialog tab
Edit Graph dialog: Legend tab
Edit Graph dialog: Pie Chart Options tab (column)
Edit Graph dialog: Pie Chart Options tab (row)
Edit Graph dialog: Plot Area tab
Edit Graph dialog: Style tab
Edit Graph dialog: Titles, Totals, and Series tab
Edit Graph dialog: Type tab
Edit Graph dialog: X-Axis tab
Edit Graph dialog: Y-Axis tab
Edit Heading dialog
Edit Parameter dialog
Edit Parameter Values dialog
Edit Percentage dialog
Edit Text Area dialog
Edit Title dialog
Edit Total dialog
Edit Worksheet dialog
Edit Worksheet dialog: Crosstab Layout tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Parameters tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Select Items tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Select Items tab: Items tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Select Items tab: Conditions tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Select Items tab: Calculations tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Sort tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Table Layout tab
Edit Worksheet dialog: Worksheet Layout tab
Export Log dialog
Export Wizard dialog: Format and Name page
Export Wizard dialog: Graph page
Export Wizard dialog: Page Item Prompts page
Export Wizard dialog: Parameter Prompts page
Export Wizard dialog: Select page
Export Wizard dialog: Supervise page
Find dialog (in Item Navigator)
Find dialog (in Worksheet)
Following Value dialog
Format dialog
Format Data dialog
Format Data dialog: Breaks tab
Format Data dialog: Date tab
Format Data dialog: Format tab
Format Data dialog: Number tab
Format Data dialog: Text tab
Format heading dialog
Group Total dialog
Header/Footer Font dialog
Heading Format dialog (Default Options)
Join folders dialog
Manage Links dialog
Manage Workbooks dialog
Move Worksheets dialog
Moving Total dialog
New Calculation dialog
New Condition dialog
New Conditional Format dialog
New Link dialog
New Parameter dialog
New Percentage dialog
New Scheduled Workbook Results dialog
New Stoplight Format dialog
New Total dialog
Open Workbook from Database dialog
Options dialog: Advanced tab
Options dialog: EUL tab
Options dialog: Formats tab
Options dialog: General tab
Options dialog: Query Governor tab
Options dialog: Sheet tab
Page Setup dialog
Page Setup dialog: Graph tab
Page Setup dialog: Header/Footer tab
Page Setup dialog: Margins tab
Page Setup dialog: Table/Crosstab tab
Page Setup dialog: Worksheet tab
Parameters dialog
Percent Contribution dialog
Percent Difference dialog
Percent Rank dialog
Percent Running Contribution dialog
Preceding Value dialog
Print dialog
Print Preview dialog
Rank dialog
Reference Lines dialog
Running Total dialog
Save Workbook to Database dialog
Schedule Wizard dialog
Schedule Wizard dialog: General tab
Schedule Wizard dialog: Schedule tab
Scheduling Manager dialog
Select Condition dialog
Select Item dialog
Select item to drill dialog
Selected items pane
Select Parameter dialog
Select User dialog
Select Value dialog
Select Values dialog
Select Workbook from Database dialog
Share Workbooks dialog: User -> Workbook tab
Share Workbooks dialog: Workbook -> User tab
Show Condition dialog
Sort Crosstab dialog
Stoplight colors dialog
Text area
Title area
Total Format dialog (Default Options)
Workbook Properties dialog
Workbook Wizard: Create/Open Workbook dialog
Worksheet Properties dialog: Aggregation tab
Worksheet Properties dialog: General tab
Worksheet Properties dialog: Sheet/Crosstab Format tab
A
Discoverer calculation examples
A.1
How to find more information about Oracle analytic functions
A.2
About the examples in this chapter
A.3
How do I create calculations?
A.4
About using parameters to provide dynamic input to calculations
A.5
Simple calculation examples
A.6
Oracle analytic function examples
A.6.1
About analytic function categories
A.6.2
About analytic functions and drilling into and out of data
A.6.3
About creating analytic functions
A.6.4
Ranking function examples
A.6.4.1
About ranking
A.6.4.2
Example: Assign ranks to sales figures
A.6.4.3
Example: Assign ranks to sales figures within region
A.6.4.4
Example: Show the top three selling cities per region
A.6.4.5
Example: Show the top three and bottom three selling cities per region
A.6.5
Banding function examples
A.6.5.1
About banding
A.6.5.2
Example: Banding by value (1)
A.6.5.3
Example: Banding by value (2)
A.6.5.4
Example: Banding by rank
A.6.6
Windowing function examples
A.6.6.1
About windowing
A.6.6.2
Example: Calculate a three month moving sales average
A.6.6.3
Example: Show the cumulative values of sales
A.6.6.4
Example: Compare sales figures across time using windowing
A.6.7
Reporting function examples
A.6.7.1
About reporting functions
A.6.7.2
Example: Calculate annual sales
A.6.7.3
Example: Calculate annual sales by region
A.6.7.4
Example: Calculate percentage of annual sales by region
A.6.7.5
Example: Calculate city sales as a percentage of total sales
A.6.8
LAG/LEAD function examples
A.6.8.1
About LAG/LEAD functions
A.6.8.2
Example: Compare sales figures across time using LAG/LEAD
A.6.8.3
Example: Calculate sales growth across time
A.6.8.4
Example: Rank sales growth
A.6.9
Statistical function examples
A.6.9.1
About statistics functions
A.6.9.2
Example: Calculate linear regression
A.6.10
More about analytic functions expressions
A.6.11
About analytic functions and sequencing
A.6.12
Examples of sequencing
A.6.12.1
Example of applying single conditions on analytic function items
A.6.12.2
Example of applying multiple conditions on analytic function items
A.6.13
About inverse percentile examples
A.6.14
About differences between PERCENTILE_CONT and PERCENTILE_DISC
A.6.14.1
Example: Compute the median profit using the PERCENTILE_DISC function
A.6.14.2
Example: Compute the median profit using the PERCENTILE_CONT function
A.6.15
Hypothetical rank and distribution examples
A.6.15.1
Example: Calculate hypothetical rank
A.6.16
Banding example
A.6.16.1
Example: Producing equi-width bands using WIDTH_BUCKET
A.6.17
FIRST/LAST aggregate examples
A.6.17.1
Example: Find the largest sales transactions in area with most sales trans'
A.6.17.2
Example: Find the average sales transaction in area with least sales trans'
A.7
Examples of using row-based and time-based intervals
A.7.1
Example: Creating a Difference calculation using a row-based interval
A.7.2
Example: Creating a Difference calculation using a time-based interval
A.7.3
Example: Creating a Preceding value calculation using a time-based interval
B
Discoverer support for Oracle Applications
B.1
What are Oracle Applications?
B.2
What features does Discoverer support for Oracle Applications users?
B.3
What are the prerequisites to run Discoverer with Oracle Applications?
B.4
About using indexes and values in parameters
B.5
How to start Discoverer in Oracle Applications mode using an existing connection
Glossary
Index